Forget the date, this is not an April Fool’s Day wheeze, promises The Duchess general manager Tim Hornsby.

“You don’t really need much of an introduction for this show, do you? Nah. Dividing opinion more than most, Pete Doherty, much-maligned pop genius, is back in York from the promoters who brought you The Libertines in 2002 and, yes, Babyshambles in 2004,” he says.

Tickets sold out in a record 90 minutes as demand surpassed even the stampede for the Arctic Monkeys’ York debut in July 2005 at Fibbers.

“This sort of show is what The Duchess was built for,” says Tim, who has fond memories of overseeing Doherty’s past visits to York.

“I found Pete to be charming and polite – very different from the publicity. And like all top best performers, he saves the attitude for stage.”

Never far from the headlines, Doherty was one of four people questioned by police earlier this week following the death of heiress and film-maker Robin Whitehead.